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A healthcare watchdog group gave Capital Regional Medical Center its highest grade and Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare its lowest in its most recent hospital safety report card.

CRMC got an “A,” and TMH an “F,” by The Leapfrog Group, based on 28 different performance measures, from rates of MRSA infections to death from treatable complications. And while CRMC touted the score, TMH disputed the methodology and pointed to more positive feedback from other private industry reviewers, including U.S. News & World Report and Healthgrades.

The Leapfrog nonprofit organization issues grades twice a year for 2,600 hospitals across the country. In the spring report, 33% got an “A.” Fewer than 1% got a failing grade.

Capital Regional boasted about its grade in a news release, saying it is “the only hospital in the region” to earn an “A” in safety. The hospital also earned top marks in Leapfrog’s hospital ratings last fall, following a “C” grade in the spring of 2019.

The report prompted TMH CEO Mark O’Bryant to write a letter to the community defending the hospital’s safety efforts. He said TMH has a “rigorous and dynamic” continuous improvement program driven by its leading doctors.

“I am in awe of the level of intensity these teams bring to reviewing every possible risk or problem a patient might encounter in any hospital experience — from falls to infections,” he wrote. “Then they dig deep to identify every change that can be made to prevent incidents. Their work is done in real time, so changes can be made immediately.”

O’Bryant downplayed the Leapfrog score, saying it used old data and reviewed a narrow set of measures “that do not remotely establish a full measure of quality.” He noted the hospital participated in Leapfrog’s scoring for the first time this year and that there were “numerous misunderstandings” throughout the process.

He said Leapfrog acknowledged TMH would have scored higher if it used more current data in its analysis of the hospital.

“I should note, however, that their survey tool has provided some helpful insight on how, even still, we can improve our performance,” O’Bryant said. “For that, we are grateful as we pursue the best possible care for our patients.”

Both TMH and CRMC scored blow average for MRSA infections and death from serious treatable complications. They both scored above average in dangerous blood clots and accidental cuts and tears.

The report said TMH was below average in having enough qualified nurses but that CRMC was above average in that metric.

Leah Binder, president and CEO of Leapfrog, said “A” hospitals are leaders in protecting patients from preventable medical harm and error.

“It takes genuine commitment at every level — from clinicians to administrators to the board of directors — and we congratulate the teams who have worked so hard to earn this ‘A.’ ”

Contact Jeff Burlew at jburlew@tallahassee.com or follow @JeffBurlew on Twitter.